N-Ko will stream a weekly show titled The N-Ko Show, with the first episode set to stream on the Netflix Anime YouTube channel on April 30.
Netflix has joined Japan’s booming virtual Youtuber – or VTuber – scene with the launch of an animated character to promote its growing anime streaming offering.
Netflix Anime has officially announced VTuber N-Ko as its ambassador. N-ko, a “sheep-human lifeform”, is Netflix’s attempt to tap into the appeal of VTubers – characters animated by motion capture that have built a loyal audience on YouTube in Japan by singing, dancing and interacting with fans.
The animated character is set to have her own show on YouTube where she will discuss her favourite anime shows on Netflix and have a karaoke session from popular anime series and movies available on the streaming platform. The N-Ko show will be premiering globally on the official Netflix Anime YouTube channel on April 30.
Netflix and other streaming services hungry for content are turning to anime to secure local subscribers and exploit the global market for such shows that is seen by many in the industry as under commercialized.
Japanese anime and Korean drama “play really well around the region as well as in-country and occasionally could be very, very global in their interest and desire”, Netflix Co-CEO Theodore Sarandos said on an earnings call last week.
